FRENCH WINE

BIODYNAMIC, ORGANIC

A blend of roussanne, white grenache and marsanne with a touch of viognier – from the southern Rhône Valley. Deliciously rich, concentrated wine with mandarin, orange zest, toasted almond, apricot and subtle spice flavours. A complex, powerful wine that’s textural and mouthfilling.” – Bob Campbell MW Tasting Note: A blend of Rousanne, White Grenache and Marsanne, with a touch of Viognier. Barrel-aged for 8 months. The nose is powerful and expressive with citrus aromas and hints of toasted almonds and anise. In the mouth it has flavours of lime with good acidity and mineralogy, and a very long finish. Ideally coupled with foods such as salmon, game, poultry, rabbit, pâté and hard cheeses. Serve lightly chilled at 14ºC. Enjoy now or for five to six years.

WINE ADVOCATE 94-96 POINTS - "The 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Origines (50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 20% Syrah aged in a mix of concrete tanks and small barrels) has fabulous notes of crème de cassis, blackberry jam, roasted herbs and graphite. Full-bodied, ultra-pure and with incredibly polished tannin, it’s up with some of the best vintage of this cuvée to date. It will need 2-3 years of cellaring and have two decades of longevity. This sensational estate consistently produces some of the top whites of the appellation (in addition to the reds), and they’ve done well in 2015."

JEB DUNNUCK 94 POINTS - "The classic blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 20% Syrah brought up in new barrels and concrete tanks, the 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines is a cuvée that's much more elegant and seamless today than in the past. Cured meats, ripe red and black fruits, garrigue, and graphite notes all emerge from this balanced, structured wine that has beautiful purity and length. There's plenty of tannins, so give it a few years."

JOHN GILLMAN 92+ POINTS-"Benoît Marguet is now bottling many of his cuvées without any added SO2 and I worry a little about this, as his wines are so brilliantly crafted for long-term cellaring and I hope no potential longevity will end up being sacrificed because of this practice. Only time will tell. In any case, his Shaman 15 non-vintage Brut Nature bottling is outstanding, being composed of its customary blend of two-thirds pinot noir and one-third chardonnay. It was disgorged in March of 2019 and offers up a superb bouquet of white peach, apple, brioche, a complex base of soil, dried flowers and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with a fine core, refined mousse and lovely acid bounce adding precision and lift on the long, classy finish. This is outstanding wine. 2019-2045+."